BEIRUT: An Israeli drone strike has killed one person in southern Lebanon despite an existing ceasefire agreement with militant group Hezbollah.
The Lebanese health ministry confirmed that an Israeli enemy drone targeted a motorcycle on the Ain Baal-Bazuriyeh road in south Lebanon’s Tyre district on Thursday.
This marks the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on Lebanon since a November truce that aimed to end more than a year of hostilities between the two sides.
Israel has consistently maintained that its operations target Hezbollah operatives or strategic sites belonging to the Iran-backed group.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported additional Israeli strikes on the Zrariyeh area in south Lebanon’s Sidon district and the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border.
The Israeli army stated it struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure used for production and storage of strategic weapons in the Bekaa region.
These latest raids follow a Tuesday strike south of Beirut that wounded a Hezbollah member and Monday strikes in eastern Lebanon that killed five people.
The Lebanese government recently ordered its military to develop a plan to disarm Hezbollah under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes.
Thursday’s attacks occurred during French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit to Lebanon for talks with senior officials including President Joseph Aoun.
France participates in the ceasefire supervision committee alongside the United States, Lebanon, Israel and United Nations peacekeepers.
President Aoun told Le Drian that international pressure on Israel to cease hostilities would help complete Lebanon’s army security plan. – AFP
